Raymond Blanc: British women are fatter than French because they eat too late and DON'T cook with butter

Michelin-Starred chef Raymond Blanc has claimed British women are fatter than their French counterparts because they don’t cook with butter, drink too much wine and eat too late.

Mr Blanc, 64, who has a number of restaurants including luxury hotel Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, said women across the Channel “do get fat” but that the French culture of eating “well” and a varied diet helps prevent it.

“One glass of wine a day is better than six! Again, cook with butter - just use a little and, most important, do not eat after 7 o’clock in the evening,” he told The Times.

“That’s a big tip because most people eat more at night and that’s when you put the weight on. Be aware of your snacks as well.”

He said that his mother, “Maman Blanc”, remained petite because “she’s always busy”.

He said: “Yes, French women do get fat, but it seems that there is a food culture in France which often defines how people eat and in France we still eat well. Eating well, a varied diet, which omits bacon and eggs every morning or six glasses of wine at night, means a better diet.”

The chef, who is promoting his son Oliver’s new interactive food app for children, said his mother founded the “cornerstone” of his cooking based on “celebrating seasonality, the very best produce, best variety, and cooking them simply to create some wonderful delicious food.”